Chinese intangible heritage lion dance sees new "pupil inheritors"

Pupils in Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are learning the lion dance at school, appreciating the glamor of this Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

Beijilu Primary School opened a lion dance club to offer students the opportunity to experience this profound cultural heritage. There, they have professionals from the Haiyuan Dragon Lion Group, a local lion dance team, to teach them.

The pupils enjoy learning the lion dance. A boy named Pan Xiyun told a CCTV reporter that learning the lion dance is a way to learn more about traditional Chinese culture as well as a way to stay fit.

"The inheritor of lion dance teaches the skills and basic moves at the school's Yongzhou lion dance club every Tuesday. The students learn a lot about the cultural value of this intangible heritage," said Huang Jingjing, principal of the Beijilu Primary School.

The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune.

The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals. It may also be performed at important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations or wedding ceremonies, or may be used to honor special guests.